It’s yet another testament to the powers of human ingenuity and curiosity that NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has once again reactivated its science operation, more than 15 billion miles from Earth. The plucky probe lost communication with scientists in November, after a memory chip failed.

NASA’s “tiger team” diagnosed the problem and developed a creative solution to bypass the malfunctioning component by rewriting the spacecraft’s software. As a result, Voyager 1 got a second wind and was able to re-establish contact with Earth, reactivating the four scientific instruments onboard that had sampled interstellar matter.

Along with its sister craft, Voyager 2, it is the only object to have left the solar system’s heliosphere. Insights into this mysterious region between stars are provided by the information they gather.

Performing ‘brain surgery’ on a spacecraft so far from home represents a significant milestone in space exploration. “The last time we really worked with the flight software was prior to launch,” noted Linda Spilker, Voyager project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Voyager 1’s computer is now operational, but its power source, plutonium-238, is gradually decaying, resulting in diminishing performance. Energy conservation strategies such as turning off non-essential systems are continually developed by engineers. Optimistically, Voyager 1 could keep sending back good scientific data home into the 2030’s.

This remarkable revival of Voyager 1 comes shortly after the passing of Ed Stone, the mission’s long-time project scientist, who would undoubtedly be proud of the spacecraft’s enduring legacy. Stone was a visionary leader who guided Voyager through its historic “Grand Tour” of the outer planets.

Voyager 1’s mission captures not just the latest attempt by mankind to push the boundaries of our knowledge out into the live ocean of the cosmos, but even more deeply, the human spirit of discovery and dogged perseverance in the face of the more challenging reaches of the vast Universe. The Voyager project remains our lone ambassador in space, indefinitely.

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